U.S. patent application number 14/818894 was filed with the patent office on 2017-02-09 for organic light emitting diode module with optical signal transmission.
The applicant listed for this patent is WiseChip Semiconductor Inc.. Invention is credited to CHIEN-HSUN CHEN, CHIEN-LE LI, YUNG-CHENG TSAI.
Application Number | 20170040391 14/818894 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 58053046 |
Filed Date | 2017-02-09 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170040391 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
LI; CHIEN-LE ; et
al. |
February 9, 2017 |
ORGANIC LIGHT EMITTING DIODE MODULE WITH OPTICAL SIGNAL
TRANSMISSION
Abstract
An organic light emitting diode (OLED) module with optical
signal transmission includes a substrate, an OLED element, an
optical signal transmission element and a spacing member. The
substrate includes a light emitting region, an optical transmission
region, and a spacing region spaced between the light emitting
region and an optical transmission region. The OLED element is
disposed in the light emitting region, and includes a first
electrode layer, a second electrode layer and an organic light
emitting layer. The optical signal transmission element is disposed
in the optical transmission region and transmits an optical signal
to the exterior. The spacing member is disposed in the spacing
region, and includes a lower portion and an upper portion having a
width greater than that of the lower portion. Thus, the present
invention provides a simplified manufacturing process, a reduced
overall volume and lowered production costs.
Inventors: |
LI; CHIEN-LE; (Miaoli
County, TW) ; TSAI; YUNG-CHENG; (Miaoli County,
TW) ; CHEN; CHIEN-HSUN; (Miaoli County, TW) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
WiseChip Semiconductor Inc. |
Miaoli County |
|
TW |
|
|
Family ID: |
58053046 |
Appl. No.: |
14/818894 |
Filed: |
August 5, 2015 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01L 27/3227 20130101;
H01L 51/5271 20130101; H01L 2251/5361 20130101; H01L 51/5253
20130101; H01L 27/3225 20130101 |
International
Class: |
H01L 27/32 20060101
H01L027/32; H01L 51/52 20060101 H01L051/52 |
Claims
1. An organic light emitting diode (OLED) module with optical
signal transmission, comprising: a substrate, comprising a light
emitting region, an optical transmission region, and a spacing
region between the light emitting region and the optical
transmission region; an organic light emitting diode (OLED)
element, disposed in the light emitting region, comprising a first
electrode layer located on the substrate, a second electrode layer
away from the substrate, and an organic light emitting layer
disposed between the first electrode layer and the second electrode
layer; an optical signal transmission element, disposed in the
optical transmission region, transmitting an optical signal to an
exterior; and a spacing member, disposed in the spacing region,
comprising a lower portion and an upper portion having a width
greater than that of the lower portion.
2. The OLED module with optical signal transmission of claim 1,
wherein the optical signal is an infrared signal or a visible light
with a wavelength between 400 nm and 700 nm.
3. The OLED module with optical signal transmission of claim 1,
wherein the optical signal transmission element comprises an
optical transmitter that transmits the optical signal.
4. The OLED module with optical signal transmission of claim 1,
wherein the optical signal transmission element comprises an
optical receiver that receives the optical signal.
5. The OLED module with optical signal transmission of claim 1,
wherein the upper portion has a height higher than that of the OLED
element.
6. The OLED module with optical signal transmission of claim 1,
further comprising: a protecting layer, covering the OLED element,
the optical signal transmission element and the spacing member.
7. The OLED module with optical signal transmission of claim 6,
further comprising: a reflecting layer, covering the protecting
layer.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to an organic light emitting
diode (OLED), and particularly to an OLED with optical signal
transmission.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Light emitting diodes (LEDs), featuring advantages of low
power consumption and long life cycle, are gradually replacing
conventional incandescent light bulbs and fluorescent light that
suffer from large power consumption, short life cycle and lack of
environmental friendliness. Therefore, being highly valued by
associated industrialists and the public, LEDs have become the
premium choice for light sources of various lighting
apparatuses.
[0003] For example, the U.S. Pat. No. 7,318,658 discloses a high
power LED color bulb with infrared remote function including a
reflector, an LED module with color LED chips, and a bulb cover
with a controlling circuit board. The LED module is mounted on a
rear end of the reflector to have the LED chips inside the
reflector. The bulb cover is mounted on a rear end of the
reflector. The LED module is connected to the controlling circuit
board. The reflector has a light guide hole or a light guide bar,
which extends backwards from a front end of the reflector to
correspondingly control an infrared sensor on the controlling
circuit board to form the LED color bulb with infrared remote
function. Thus, without providing the infrared sensor at the front
end of the reflector, infrared signals coming from the front of the
reflector can be received through the light guide hole or the light
guide bar, so as to control switching on/off, color, change mode
and brightness of the color bulb.
[0004] However, for such type of LED product with optical signal
transmission, as the LED module and the infrared sensor are first
separately assembled and manufactured, and then integrated and
correspondingly mounted on the controlling circuit board, the LED
product has not only a more complicated manufacturing process but
also a volume that cannot be further reduced. Further, with the
rapid development of OLED manufacturing technologies, compared to
LEDS, advantages of better feasibility for large-size manufacturing
and lower production costs of OLEDs are emphasized. Therefore,
there is a need for a solution for improving the above type of LED
product with optical signal transmission.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] The primary object of the present invention is to solve
issues of a complicated manufacturing process, a volume that cannot
be easily reduced and high production costs of a conventional light
emitting diode (LED) product with optical signal transmission.
[0006] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides
an organic light emitting diode (OLED) module with optical signal
transmission. The OLED module with optical signal transmission
includes a substrate, an OLED element, an optical signal
transmission element and a spacing member. The substrate includes a
light emitting region, an optical transmission region, and a
spacing region spaced between the light emitting region and the
optical transmission region. The OLED element is disposed in the
light emitting region, and includes a first electrode layer located
on the substrate, a second electrode layer away from the substrate,
and an organic light emitting layer disposed between the first
electrode layer and the second electrode layer. The optical signal
transmission element is disposed in the optical transmission
region, and transmits an optical signal to the exterior. The
spacing member is disposed in the spacing region, and includes a
lower portion and an upper portion having a width greater than that
of the lower portion.
[0007] As such, by disposing the OLED element and the optical
signal transmission element on the substrate, the present invention
integrates the LED element and the optical transmission element in
a same manufacturing process. Therefore, compared to a conventional
LED product, the OLED module provides a simplified manufacturing
process, a reduced overall volume and lowered production costs.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] The sole FIGURE is a section view according to an embodiment
of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED
Embodiments
[0009] Detailed description and technical contents of the present
invention are given with the accompanying drawings below.
[0010] The FIGURE shows a section view according to an embodiment
of the present invention. As shown, the present invention is
organic light emitting diode (OLED) module with optical signal
transmission includes a substrate 10, an OLED element 20, an
optical signal transmission element 30 and a spacing member 40. The
substrate 10 may be transparent or opaque, and may be made from a
material such as glass, plastic, silicon, graphene, gallium
arsenide (GaAs), gallium nitride (GaN) or silicon carbide (SiC).
The substrate 10 includes a light emitting region 11, an optical
transmission region 12 and a spacing region 13. The light emitting
region 11, the optical transmission region 12 and the spacing
region 13 are disposed at a same side of the substrate 10. The
spacing region 13 is disposed between the light emitting region 11
and the optical transmission region 12.
[0011] The OLED element 20 is disposed in the light emitting region
11, and includes a first electrode layer 21, a second electrode
layer 22 and an organic light emitting layer 23. The first
electrode layer 21 is located on the substrate 10, and may be made
of a material such as a metal film, a metal compound film, a
ceramic material, or a high-polymer conductive material. For
example, the metal film may be gold (Au), silver (Ag), platinum
(Pt), copper (Cu), aluminium (Al), chromium (Cr), palladium (Pd) or
rhodium (Rh). Preferably, the metal compound film has a thickness
smaller than 250 nm, and may be a metal oxide, a metal nitride or a
metal fluoride, e.g., a indium-containing metal oxide such as
indium tin oxide (ITO) or indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO), or a
non-indium-containing metal oxide such as aluminium oxide or zinc
oxide. For example, the ceramic material may be carbon nanotubes or
graphene, and the high-polymer conductive material may be PEDOT:PSS
or other high-polymer materials with electrical conductivity. The
second electrode layer 22 is located at one side of the substrate
10 away from the first electrode layer 21, and may be made of a
material such as a metal film, a metal compound film, or a
non-metal material. For example, the metal film may be gold (Au),
silver (Ag), platinum (Pt), copper (Cu), aluminium (Al), chromium
(Cr), palladium (Pd) or rhodium (Rh). Preferably, the metal
compound film has a thickness smaller than 250 nm, and may be a
metal oxide, a metal nitride or a metal fluoride, e.g., a
indium-containing metal oxide such as indium tin oxide (ITO) or
indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO), or a non-indium-containing metal
oxide such as aluminium oxide or aluminium zinc oxide. For example,
the non-metal material may be carbon nanotubes, graphene,
nanosilver, or a high-polymer conductive material (e.g.,
PEDOT:PSS). The organic light emitting layer 23 is disposed between
the first electrode layer 21 and the second electrode layer 22, and
includes a hole transmission layer, an electron transmission layer
and a light emitting layer. The hole transmission layer, connected
to the first electrode layer 21, may be made of a dopable
transmission material having a high hole mobility, e.g., an organic
compound or an organic metal compound. The organic compound may
include a multi-carbon functional group such as an aromatic amine
or a benzene functional group, e.g., HAT-CN, NPB CuPc. The electron
transmission layer is located at one side of the hole transmission
layer away from the first electrode layer 21, and may be made of a
dopable transmission material having a high electron mobility,
e.g., an organic compound or an organic metal compound. The organic
compound may be a multi-carbon and heterocyclic functional group,
e.g., an aromatic amine or a benzene functional group and silicon
(Si) or nitrogen (N). The organic metal compound may be Alq3 or
BeBq2. The light emitting layer is disposed between the hole
transmission layer and the electron transmission layer. In the
present invention, the light emitting layer is a structure formed
by a single film or multiple films. The organic light emitting
layer 23 may provide the hole transmission layer and the electron
transmission layer with an external bias through the first
electrode layer 21 and the second electrode layer 22, such that the
hole transmission layer and the electron transmission layer
generate a plurality of holes and a plurality of electrons,
respectively. The holes and the electrons enter the light emitting
layer to release energy in form of a visible light, which passes
through the substrate 10 and becomes emitted.
[0012] The optical signal transmission element 30, disposed in the
optical transmission region 12, transmits an optical signal to the
exterior, and includes an optical transmitter or an optical
receiver. When the optical signal transmission element 30 includes
an optical transmitter, the optical transmitter may transmit an
optical signal. When the optical signal transmission element 30
includes an optical receiver, the optical receiver may receive an
optical signal. For example, the optical signal is an infrared
signal or a visible light having a wavelength between 400 nm and
700 nm, for example.
[0013] The spacing member 40 is disposed in the spacing region 13,
and includes a lower portion 41 and an upper portion 42. A width of
the upper portion 42 is greater than that of the lower portion 41,
and a height of the upper portion 42 is higher than that of the
OLED element 20. In the embodiment, for example, the spacing member
40 has a T-shaped cross section. In other embodiments, the spacing
member 40 may have a trapezoidal cross section, or a cross section
with a planar contour that renders the width of the upper portion
42 to be greater than that of the lower portion 41.
[0014] In the embodiment, the OLED module may further include a
protecting layer 50 and a reflecting layer 60. The protecting layer
50 covers the OLED element 20, the optical signal transmission
element 30 and the spacing member 40, and may be made of a material
such as an organic compound, an organic polymer, an inorganic
polymer, an inorganic oxide or an inorganic oxide. For example, an
organic compound may be a perylene derivative, and an inorganic
oxide may be silicon oxide (SiO.sub.2), silicon nitride (SiNx) or
titanium oxide (TiOx), so as to prevent the OLED element 20 and the
optical signal transmission element 30 from moisture invasion. The
reflecting layer 60 covers the protecting layer 50, and may be made
of a material such as an organic compound, an organic polymer, an
inorganic polymer, an inorganic oxide or an inorganic nitride. For
example, an organic compound may be a perylene derivative, and an
inorganic oxide may be silicon oxide (SiO.sub.2), silicon nitride
(SiNx) or titanium oxide (TiOx), so as to increase the light
extraction rate of the OLED element 20 facing the substrate 10.
[0015] As such, with the above structure, the present invention is
applicable to various lighting products involving optical signal
transmission. For example, when the present invention is applied to
a lighting device, the optical signal transmission element 30 may
include the optical receiver, which receives the optical signal
transmitted from a remote end. The OLED module may then control
operations of the OLED element 20 according to an instruction the
optical signal transmits. For another example, when the present
invention is applied to a remote controller, the OLED element 20
may be an operation screen or a key region providing a display
light source on the remote controller. The optical transmitter may
transmit an operation instruction set by the operation screen or
the key region to drive an apparatus associated with the remote
controller.
[0016] In conclusion, by disposing the OLED element and the optical
signal transmission element on the substrate as well as providing
the spacing member, the present invention integrates the LED
element and the optical transmission element in a same
manufacturing process. Therefore, compared to a conventional LED
product, the OLED module provides a simplified manufacturing
process, a reduced overall volume and lowered production costs,
thereby enhancing the application advantage of the present
invention to various lighting products involving optical signal
transmission.
* * * * *